The Journal of Pediatrics is pleased to announce that its Editor-in-Chief, William F. Balistreri, MD, will be honored by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) with the establishment of an annual award bearing his name.

The new William F. Balistreri, MD, Prize for Excellence in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition will recognize outstanding achievement in the field. Each year, the award will be presented at the NASPGHAN annual meeting to the first author of the highest ranked abstract.

"This award means a great deal to me – it will be a stimulus for the members of our association to strive for excellence in their research – the competition will bring the best out in all investigators," said Dr. Balistreri. "This will be of great benefit to our members, and most importantly, the research will hopefully lead to improve diagnostic and treatment strategies for our patients to improve their outcome – that is what it is truly all about."

Dr. Balistreri is the medical director of the Pediatric Liver Care Center and Pediatric Liver Transplantation Program at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. The Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Pediatrics since 1996, Dr. Balistreri has also been devoted to helping increase the understanding of numerous aspects of pediatric hepatology by authoring over 530 publications including original articles, editorials, reviews, and chapters during his three decades of dedicated medical service.

Over the course of his celebrated career, Dr. Balistreri has received awards from various notable societies including the Distinguished Leadership Service Award from the AASLD (American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases) in 2007, the Distinguished Leadership Award from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (1995), the Andrew Sass-Kortsak Memorial Award from the Canadian Liver Foundation and the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (1998), the Murray Davidson Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Gastroenterology and Nutrition (1999), and the Shwachman Award from NASPGHAN (1999).

"Bill has stood for excellence in clinical care, education, and research," said NASPGHAN Foundation president John A. Barnard, MD. "Those who have been close to Bill realize he is a remarkable man, and we felt it was the right time to acknowledge his outstanding career and create a lasting tribute."

As one of the world's foremost authorities on pediatric gastroenterology and liver disease, Dr. Balistreri is a Past President of NASPGHAN. Now, in appreciation for his years of leadership, NASPGHAN is recognizing him with this prestigious honor. To ensure its longevity, NASPGHAN has established a Foundation endowment to support the prize going forward. Elsevier, publisher of The Journal of Pediatrics, will add its support to this endowment in recognition of Dr. Balistreri's significant contributions to his field and the medical publishing industry.

"It is an honor to work with Dr. Balistreri on The Journal of Pediatrics. His contributions and dedication over the years to the field and TheJournal are without equal. Elsevier is pleased to help support this new award named in honor of a truly deserving individual," commented Publishers Theresa A. Monturano and Sarah E. Barth.

The first William F. Balistreri, MD, Prize for Excellence in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition will be awarded at the 2013 NASPGHAN Annual Meeting, October 10-13, 2013, in Chicago, IL.

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AboutThe Journal of PediatricsThe Journal of Pediatrics is a primary reference for the science and practice of pediatrics and its subspecialties. This authoritative resource of original, peer-reviewed articles oriented toward clinical practice helps physicians stay abreast of the latest and ever-changing developments in pediatric medicine. The Journal of Pediatrics is ranked 4th out of 121 pediatric medical journals (2012 Journal Citation Reports®, published by Thomson Reuters). URL: www.jpeds.com

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